OUR TABLE || EASY LASAGNA

Let's just say. to.die.for.

I don't know a soul who doesn't love themselves some lasagna.

Can we say comfort food?!! And this is just the time of year when 'comfort food' is calling our names!

I've thought about sharing this recipe before now and then I've resisted it.

This isn't just any recipe but one that is a family recipe where I've made some of my own {healthier} modifications.

But it's a family recipe(!) so it's not the easiest to share because it feels like there's a little piece of me + mom + grandma in it. But it is just TOO darn good and I hope know sooo many will love it! It is absolutely one of the regulars around here and quite possibly our number one favorite meal.

This is the best, easiest lasagna you will ever make. I can nearly 100% guarantee it! You do NOT have to cook the lasagna noodles prior to assembling! Now I told you it was easy :)

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey breast*
1 medium onion diced
3/4 cup water
1 - 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 - 24 oz can spaghetti sauce
100% whole wheat lasagna noodles (uncooked)
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup dried parsley
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese

--Preheat oven to 375.
--Brown meat in large skillet. Once meat is about halfway done cooking, add diced onion. Continue cooking until meat is fully cooked and no longer pink.
--Add water, tomatoes, spaghetti sauce. Bring to a boil. Let simmer about 5 minutes. Sauce should still be runny.
--In a bowl, mix together cottage cheese, shredded parmesan, and parsley.
--Begin layering. In 9x13 baking pan, place one layer of noodles evenly over bottom of pan, half of cottage cheese mixture, half of mozzarella cheese, and half of meat sauce.
--Repeat layers. (ending with meat sauce).
--Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
--Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

That's it!
I paired our lasagna with this Cranberry Pear Kale Salad and it was a great combination!
And leftovers. Talk about leftovers! With a large pan like this we have lots of leftovers for our family (even if we have dinner guests over). And it almost tastes even better (if you can imagine it!) the next day after the flavors have mingled over night :)

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as my family does!

*A little dietitian note: Now the ground turkey breast. The breast part makes a huge difference. In the grocery store you will find ground turkey and then also ground turkey breast. Without that word 'breast' all parts of the turkey meat can be in your ground meat. That includes the fatty parts. Which makes ground turkey not that much different than ground beef. Don't believe me.. check the fat in the nutrition facts! So look for 'ground turkey breast' and get that one. You can often find it on sale. Buy a couple extras and thrown them in the freezer to use later.

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

HALLOWEEN 2015

HALLOWEEN.

Hasn't been my favorite of holidays over the past few years.. I mean, adults dressing up is (kinda) fun, BUT now Halloween with a one year old makes the holiday SO FUN!!

Last year was fun dressing up our little 3 month old as a mouse, but we didn't go trick-or-treating and she of course didn't have a clue as to what was even going on :) BUT this year! She still may not have known what was really going on, but all that mattered was that it was F U N!! And she knew it! Although her facial expression here doesn't quite show her excitement ;)

I think this will start to be a favorite holiday for me. Seeing the joy and excitement it brought to my sweet Harper - I could let her wear costumes + eat candy every day! I won't. But I could ;)

Pre-Halloween I was a little nervous as to how she would handle wearing her costume. I was feeling pretty certain that she wouldn't want the hood anywhere near her head. But boy am I glad I was wrong. So wrong! This girl absolutely LOVED wearing her costume!

Friday night the Y held a 'Harvest Fest' that we took Harper to. Numerous different booths with activities for the kids (Harper was still a bit too young to participate) but it was fun walking her around. She enjoyed some good ol' 'people watching' since there were characters of all sorts wandering the gym :)

On Halloween day we went with some friends of ours to take our girls out for some trick-or-treating to some of the local businesses downtown. Not too long before we went out it was complete down poor raining. It was still raining when we first started, but about half way though it let up and Harper was able to get down and walk the street. She got a hang of things quickly! She would walk herself over to where the other kids were so that she too could have some of what they were getting :)

Ladybug Harper + Monkey Aubrey

Once we were done gathering our treats we headed back to Jacob & Kaylani's for some food + relaxation + and of course story time!

Doesn't Brandon look good with two on his lap ;)

I made this Halloween candy bark and it was TOO good + TOO easy to eat! Like we really needed any more sweets...

The recipe is here.

...and like I said, she loves her costume. s t i l l wanting to wear it the day AFTER Halloween.
But with how cute she looks in it, I just can't resist it either :)

We had a great Halloween + now looking forward to the holidays ahead of us!

xoxo

-Brittney

OUR TABLE || HALLOWEEN SNACK MIX

Hip hip hooray! It's here! Halloween marks the first holiday into the 'holiday season'!

Two of my favorite things about the holiday season are food and fun festivities. And I love even more when the two are combined!

So here we have it. With today being Halloween Eve, what better time to share this festive Halloween snack mix concoction that of course too can be nibbled upon all Fall. Mmm... Mmm... Good!!

Ingredients:

Muddy Buddies - recipe here

Pretzels

Cinnamon Life

Whole Grain Goldfish

Craisins

Peanut M&Ms

Reese's Pieces

Candy Corn (of course!)

The sweet and salty combination is calling your name!

I mean it sure did call mine because this mix is now g o n e. Yep. Time to make a second batch :)

I'm so excited for this weekend and all of the fun that is to come! Costumes, candy, and good friends. 

Happy Friday + Happy Halloween {Eve}!!

xoxo

-Brittney

8 WAYS TO KICK THAT COLD

It's a dreaded time of year when it comes to pesky colds. Am I right??!
We recently felt colds trying to make their way around here and I jumped right on that to try to kick them before they made a full appearance. Cause ain't nobody got time for that. And I succeeded! This time at least...  Thank goodness too! Because there isn't much else like having tissue in hand and chasing around a snotty-nosed toddler.

Having a {walking} toddler now, we go more places and do more things where she is able to pick up more germs. And they are everywhere! But I'm certainly not going to lock ourselves in the house and live in a boring bubble (although sometimes I wouldn't mind that) ;), so the biggest thing... keep the immune system up so the colds can't make their way in the first place!
But when that hasn't worked, follow 1-8 bellow :)
How many germs you wanna guess are all over that slide?!

1. Humidifier. I am so impressed with this Honeywell. Love it! I had the Crane Drop Shape before and it was worthless. I run the humidifier in Harper's room during naps and night while she is asleep. Helps SO much in breaking up that congestion!

2. Essential Oils (thyme, lavender, eucalyptus). I swear by 'em. In so many ways. My favorite to use is the ImmuBoost blend from Time Laboratories. I put my oil diffuser with a few drops of that in her room while she sleeps. Smells so good too!
3. Viamin D. This is HUGE for our immune systems! Around here we take a vitamin d supplement every day of the year. Brandon and I take 5000 IU a day and then baby Vitamin D drops for Harper.

4. Daily Multivitamin. Once a day I mix this multi powder in either yogurt or cottage cheese for Harper. A little extra umph to go along with her daily diet.
5. Fruits + Veggies. Pack these babies in and get lots of them! They are loaded with vitamins and minerals help the body fight off whatever comes its way.

6. Fluids. Fluids. Fluids. All day every day.

7. Rest. Just get it. Promise it makes all the difference! Otherwise those darn colds can linger, and linger, and linger. No thanks!
8. Wash hands. Extra attention to this one when it's germ killing time!

There ya have it! It's that season so start doing it before the cold even starts to appear.
We're healthy as horses over here. Praying it will stay that way!

xoxo

-Brittney

WEEK-END-ISH

I haven't a clue what day it is lately. And that is mainly because we have been having so much fun! And to be honest when you're a stay-at-home-mama with a husband who is a busy realtor (who works nearly 7 days a week) the day of the week doesn't matter. Tuesdays can feel the same as Saturdays. We take it day by day and embrace it all!

After our Boston trip, Brandon left four days later to make a HUGE check mark on his bucket list by going to the USC vs Notre Dame game with his dad and brother. You could say he was just a little over the moon ;)

Well while daddy was away, my little and I did some Saturday morning shopping! New rain boots were in order since we were heading to the pumpkin patch (for our second time!) later that day.

Doesn't she look just the cutest in her boots?! Harper however was a bit more into the aquarium and the balloon :)

We made round two to the pumpkin patch with Auntie and her sister and her two girls who were in town visiting for the weekend.

There isn't much cuter than three littles piled in a wheelbarrow!

Living in Washington, the weather can catch ya by surprise. And boy did it! We planned ahead by checking the weather the day before (which said there wouldn't be any rain Saturday afternoon) well... that was 100% w r o n g! By the end of our 4 hours, we all looked close to what drowned rats might look like. And the three littles were over it.

But memories were certainly made :)

Come Sunday, Grandma She-She made a visit from Idaho! We love when she's here and hate when she has to leave.

Grandma left Tuesday and by Wednesday I didn't have a darn clue what the day was and was shocked to find out the week was already half over! But then again, does it really matter the day?? NO.

Now here's to another weekend! (I think...)

Yes! Happy Fri-YAY!

xoxo

-Brittney

OUR TABLE || QUINOA + BLACK BEAN STUFFED PEPPERS

Easy dinner meals?? YES please!!

And here's one of my favorites. Stuffed peppers!

This is such a quick, easy, go-to meal around our house. I generally have these ingredients on hand, so when it's one of those nights where a meal wasn't planned (or there was a change in plans) I can whip these babies together in no time! And the bonus.. I don't need a side to go with them because... veggie, check. protein, check. whole grain, check. Now that's what I'm talkin' about! This here recipe covers T H R E E major food groups. Stuffed peppers really are an all in one.

**Disclaimer: now it definitely isn't the 'prettiest' of meals I've made, but let me tell ya, they are so so so good. Don't let the looks deceive you ;)

Ingredient List:

3 bell peppers (any color)

1 small onion diced

2 cups cooked quinoa or brown rice (I use a quinoa rice blend from Costco)

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Shredded parmesan cheese

--Preheat oven to 350.

--Cut bell peppers in half and clean out seeds/stems.

--In a bowl combine cooked quinoa/rice, drained & rinsed black beans, diced onion, and seasonings.

--Spoon pepper halves full of quinoa/bean mixture.

--Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

--Place on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

How easy is that??!

The peppers get cooked just enough to where their flavors have come out, but yet they haven't gotten too soft. I'm a texture person and too soft/over cooked veggies make me wanna gag. So with 10 minutes in the oven, these babies have reached perfection!

Really you could use just about any sort of ingredients to stuff your peppers. Diced or shredded chicken.. Ground turkey breast.. Various beans & veggies. Get creative!

xoxo

-Brittney

Harper Monaé || 15 months

15 months. how. how. HOW??!!

To think that we've had this sweet soul in our lives now for 15 months is mind boggling!

How is it that I can feel like she was only barely born into our family like yesterday, while at the same time feeling like she's been here all along?

I continue to be amazed by all of the changes in her development and what she's learned in just one month's time.

When days get busy, and moments get stressful and at that moment all I can think about is getting through it.. I try (now it doesn't always happen), but I try to remind myself to soak it up and enjoy it. Because one day, yes really, I believe one day I will miss e v e r y bit of the stage she is in. Even the difficult moments. Like when we were on the 5 1/2 hour flight just a few short days ago and she would not. stop. crying. One day I will look back and miss that. Right?? I mean maybe not today, but one day ;)

She is just the perfect combination of sweet, loving, silly, and fiesty.

E A T

Boy does this little one eat! Since the day she was born we have not had any problem whatsoever with trying to get her to eat. She nursed like a pro and she now eats like a pro. She eats nearly everything we serve her without a complaint. The dietitian mama in me is so proud that she accepts new foods so well! She is also so good with letting us know she is finished by turning her head away. Or sometimes even knocking the food out of our hand. Once we hit that point, we know she is done and we don't continue 'force feeding' her just so she will finish the rest of what is on her tray. It is so important to listen to her and trust that she is full and finished so that we are sure to not teach her to overeat.

Favorite Foods:

-fruit (kiwi, apples, strawberries, pears)

-veggies (squash, corn, tomato, zucchini)

-cottage cheese

-lite string cheese

-whole grain goldfish

Not-so-favorite Foods:

-potatoes (ahh this one just kills me! to not like potatoes?? where is the Idaho in her?!)

She LOVED sampling the fudgesicle at Costco :) and that face is proof of it!

S L E E P

Thankfully sleep is SO easy around here! Harper is so predictable with this, doesn't put up a fight, and once she's out, she's out.

I think we are in the transition of moving from two naps to just one. As of lately, she goes down 10:30/11-1:30/2ish. Some days she would like a late afternoon/early evening nap, but it's starting to push a little too close to bedtime. So a second nap can be hit or miss depending on how tired she and what we have going on that day. 

Sleeping at night is a breeze. I almost feel guilty saying this for those mamas where night time is a struggle. Our little Harper has her bedtime routine, goes down by 8pm, and sleeps entirely through the night until she wakes aroud 7:30am. Thank you Jesus! What a struggle it would be around our house if we all weren't getting a good night's rest. I am praying that our next children will be as good of sleepers as Harper has been!

Look at those pretty after-bath locks!

P L A Y

Little miss Harper Monaé is so active these days and every second she is awake, she is on the GO!

And I love it.
This is such a fun age. She is so interactive and her little personality is shinning though more and more. I feel so blessed to get to spend my days with her and witness all of these changes.
One of her favorite things to do is 'help' me unload the dishwasher.
She is so good at entertaining herself and playing with her toys. On the daily, nearly everything form her toy chest gets pulled out and the living room on into the kitchen has toys scattered all around. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I just love that kind of a mess in my house. It brings so much joy seeing her having fun and playing. Of course the toys do get cleaned up before we go upstairs for naptime, because it's such a good feeling to come back downstairs to a clean living space :)

Being so sweet giving her baby hugs.

Reading. This girls just LOVES to read. It isn't uncommon for me to be wondering where Harper went, and this is where I find her. In her closet, with books all over the place. She loves turning the pages and pointing out all of the animals that she recognizes. It warms my heart that she loves books so much. And it isn't just tossing books around, but she actually sits there and goes through them as if she is really 'reading' them.

I've yet to actually get a good picture of it (where her leg is behind her), but here she is 'practicing' her arabesque that I taught her :) All my dancer friends, you can appreciate this one!

P H O T O  D U M P!!

Thanks for the 'massage' ;)

All that HAIR!! Makes her look so grown up! #hearteyes

15 M O N T H STATS:

Height: 32.5 inches (96th percentile)

Weight: 27 lbs 9 oz (96th percentile)

So many tears at this appointment, but then she completely turned around when I gave her the apple :)

I love you my sweet girl. I am so thankful to God for bringing you into our lives. Life is so much more with you in it and my life has felt fulfilled in places I didn't even know were missing. Happy 15 months to you and I can't wait to see what this next month will bring us!

xoxo

-Brittney